--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For as nightingales do upon glow-worms…" description: "\"For as nightingales do upon glow-worms feed, So poets live upon the living light.\" — Philip James Bailey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/620/philip-james-bailey-2904_glow-worms_for-as-nightingales-do-upon-glow-worms-f_443792.jpg" --- # For as nightingales do upon glow-worms feed, So poets live… ![“For as nightingales do upon glow-worms feed, So poets live upon the living light.” quote by Philip James Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/620/philip-james-bailey-2904_glow-worms_for-as-nightingales-do-upon-glow-worms-f_443792.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/620/philip-james-bailey-2904_glow-worms_for-as-nightingales-do-upon-glow-worms-f_443792.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/620/philip-james-bailey-2904_glow-worms_for-as-nightingales-do-upon-glow-worms-f_443792.jpg) > “For as nightingales do upon glow-worms feed, So poets live upon the living light.” [Philip James Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-james-bailey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poets draw inspiration from living, vibrant sources just as nightingales feed on glowing worms. **In simple terms:** Poets thrive on lively inspiration. Key Takeaway Seek dynamic, living sources for creativity. Themes creativity inspiration nature art Mood contemplative inspirational Type poetic literary When to use this quote - writing workshops - nature walks - creative retreats - art education Key Concepts symbolism metaphor artistic muse Questions to Reflect On - What everyday phenomena spark your artistic work? - How can you nurture a vibrant creative environment? A Different Perspective Relying solely on abstract ideas may limit depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Glow worms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glow-worms/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Nightingales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nightingales/) [Poet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poet/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) ## Related quotes > [“Everything is made of light,” he said, “and the space in-between isn’t empty.” And he knew that everything that exists is one living being,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-ruiz/everything-is-made-of-light-he-said-and-the-space-in-between-isn-t/) [Miguel Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-ruiz/) > [When I wrote Living in the Light, I wanted to share about how I live my own life and to encourage people to tap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shakti-gawain/when-i-wrote-living-in-the-light-i-wanted-to-share-about-how-i-live/) [Shakti Gawain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shakti-gawain/) > [Black Poets should live--not leap From steel bridges, like the white boys do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/etheridge-knight/black-poets-should-live-not-leap-from-steel-bridges-like-the-white/) [Etheridge Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/etheridge-knight/) > [“68. By then all poets will live in artistic communities calls jails or asylums. 69. Our imaginary home, the home we share. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-bola-o/68-by-then-all-poets-will-live-in-artistic-communities-calls-jails-or/) [Roberto Bolaño](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-bola-o/) > [Some of us – poets are not exactly poets. We live sometimes – beyond the word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/some-of-us-poets-are-not-exactly-poets-we-live-sometimes-beyond-the/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [A lot of poets too live on the margins of social acceptance, they certainly aren't in it for the money. William Blake - only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jarmusch/a-lot-of-poets-too-live-on-the-margins-of-social-acceptance-they/) [Jim Jarmusch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jarmusch/) > [Music lives within thy lips Like a nightingale in roses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-james-bailey/music-lives-within-thy-lips-like-a-nightingale-in-roses/) [Philip James Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-james-bailey/) > [True goodness is like the glow-worm in this, that it shines most when no eyes except those of heaven are upon it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-charles-hare/true-goodness-is-like-the-glow-worm-in-this-that-it-shines-most-when/) [Julius Charles Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-charles-hare/) > [Glow-worms on the ground are moving, As if in the torch-dance circling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/glow-worms-on-the-ground-are-moving-as-if-in-the-torch-dance-circling/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [We are all worms. However, I like to think I'm a glow worm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/we-are-all-worms-however-i-like-to-think-i-m-a-glow-worm/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Some feelings are quite untranslatable; no language has yet been found for them. They gleam upon us beautifully through the dim twilight of fancy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/some-feelings-are-quite-untranslatable-no-language-has-yet-been-found/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [The little and the great are joined in one By God's great force. The wondrous golden sun Is linked unto the glow-worm's tiny spark;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-lazarus/the-little-and-the-great-are-joined-in-one-by-god-s-great-force-the/) [Emma Lazarus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-lazarus/) > [Glories, like glow-worms, afar off shine bright, But looked to near, have neither heat nor light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/glories-like-glow-worms-afar-off-shine-bright-but-looked-to-near-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The eastern light our spires touch at morning, The light that slants upon our western doors at evening, The twilight over stagnant pools at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/the-eastern-light-our-spires-touch-at-morning-the-light-that-slants/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [When evening closes Nature's eye, The glow-worm lights her little spark To captivate her favorite fly And tempt the rover through the dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-montgomery/when-evening-closes-nature-s-eye-the-glow-worm-lights-her-little/) [James Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-montgomery/) ## More by Philip James Bailey > [The strongest passion which I have is honor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-james-bailey/the-strongest-passion-which-i-have-is-honor/) [Philip James Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-james-bailey/) > [When pride thaws, look for floods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-james-bailey/when-pride-thaws-look-for-floods/) [Philip James Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-james-bailey/) > [Thou art a woman, And that is saying the best and worst of thee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-james-bailey/thou-art-a-woman-and-that-is-saying-the-best-and-worst-of-thee/) [Philip James Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-james-bailey/) > [The death-change comes. Death is another life. We bow our heads At going out, we think, and enter straight Another golden chamber of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-james-bailey/the-death-change-comes-death-is-another-life-we-bow-our-heads-at/) [Philip James Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-james-bailey/) > [It is fine to stand upon some lofty mountain thought, and feel the spirit stretch into a view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-james-bailey/it-is-fine-to-stand-upon-some-lofty-mountain-thought-and-feel-the/) [Philip James Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-james-bailey/) > [Death, thou art infinite; it is life is little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-james-bailey/death-thou-art-infinite-it-is-life-is-little/) [Philip James Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-james-bailey/) > [Kindness is wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-james-bailey/kindness-is-wisdom/) [Philip James Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-james-bailey/) > [None but God can fill the perfect whole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-james-bailey/none-but-god-can-fill-the-perfect-whole/) [Philip James Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-james-bailey/) > [The ground of all great thoughts is sadness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-james-bailey/the-ground-of-all-great-thoughts-is-sadness/) [Philip James Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-james-bailey/) > [The dew, 'Tis of the tears which stars weep, sweet with joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-james-bailey/the-dew-tis-of-the-tears-which-stars-weep-sweet-with-joy/) [Philip James Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-james-bailey/) > [My favoured temple is an humble heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-james-bailey/my-favoured-temple-is-an-humble-heart/) [Philip James Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-james-bailey/) > [Fine thoughts are wealth, for the right use of which Men are and ought to be accountable,-- If not to Thee, to those they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-james-bailey/fine-thoughts-are-wealth-for-the-right-use-of-which-men-are-and-ought/) [Philip James Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-james-bailey/) > [The sole equality on earth is death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-james-bailey/the-sole-equality-on-earth-is-death/) [Philip James Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-james-bailey/) > [The goodness of the heart is shown in deeds Of peacefulness and kindness. Hand and heart Are one thing with the good, as thou…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-james-bailey/the-goodness-of-the-heart-is-shown-in-deeds-of-peacefulness-and/) [Philip James Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-james-bailey/) > [He is a fool who is not for love and beauty. I speak unto the young, for I am of them and always shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-james-bailey/he-is-a-fool-who-is-not-for-love-and-beauty-i-speak-unto-the-young/) [Philip James Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-james-bailey/) [Explore all 146 Philip James Bailey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-james-bailey/) ## More Glow worms quotes > [When evening closes Nature's eye, The glow-worm lights her little spark To captivate her favorite fly And tempt the rover through the dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-montgomery/when-evening-closes-nature-s-eye-the-glow-worm-lights-her-little/) [James Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-montgomery/) > [The eastern light our spires touch at morning, The light that slants upon our western doors at evening, The twilight over stagnant pools at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/the-eastern-light-our-spires-touch-at-morning-the-light-that-slants/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [The little and the great are joined in one By God's great force. The wondrous golden sun Is linked unto the glow-worm's tiny spark;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-lazarus/the-little-and-the-great-are-joined-in-one-by-god-s-great-force-the/) [Emma Lazarus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-lazarus/) > [We are all worms. However, I like to think I'm a glow worm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/we-are-all-worms-however-i-like-to-think-i-m-a-glow-worm/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [True goodness is like the glow-worm in this, that it shines most when no eyes except those of heaven are upon it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-charles-hare/true-goodness-is-like-the-glow-worm-in-this-that-it-shines-most-when/) [Julius Charles Hare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-charles-hare/) > [Glow-worms on the ground are moving, As if in the torch-dance circling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/glow-worms-on-the-ground-are-moving-as-if-in-the-torch-dance-circling/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [Some feelings are quite untranslatable; no language has yet been found for them. They gleam upon us beautifully through the dim twilight of fancy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/some-feelings-are-quite-untranslatable-no-language-has-yet-been-found/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [Glories, like glow-worms, afar off shine bright, But looked to near, have neither heat nor light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/glories-like-glow-worms-afar-off-shine-bright-but-looked-to-near-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Ye glow-worms, whose officious flame To wand’ring mowers shows the way, That in the night have lost their aim, And after foolish fires do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-marvell/ye-glow-worms-whose-officious-flame-to-wand-ring-mowers-shows-the-way/) [Andrew Marvell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-marvell/) > [He who recognizes no higher logic than that of the shilling may become a very rich man, and yet remain all the while an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-smiles/he-who-recognizes-no-higher-logic-than-that-of-the-shilling-may/) [Samuel Smiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-smiles/) > [The young May moon is beaming, love. The glow-worm's lamp is gleaming, love. How sweet to rove, Through Morna's grove, When the drowsy world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-moore/the-young-may-moon-is-beaming-love-the-glow-worm-s-lamp-is-gleaming/) [Thomas Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-moore/) > [For, as you know, religions are like glow-worms; they shine only when it is dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/for-as-you-know-religions-are-like-glow-worms-they-shine-only-when-it/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) [Browse all 13 Glow worms quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glow-worms/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "For as nightingales do upon glow-worms feed, So poets live upon the living light.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Philip James Bailey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-james-bailey/for-as-nightingales-do-upon-glow-worms-feed-so-poets-live-upon-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Glow worms" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-james-bailey/for-as-nightingales-do-upon-glow-worms-feed-so-poets-live-upon-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/620/philip-james-bailey-2904_glow-worms_for-as-nightingales-do-upon-glow-worms-f_443792.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/620/philip-james-bailey-2904_glow-worms_for-as-nightingales-do-upon-glow-worms-f_443792.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/620/philip-james-bailey-2904_glow-worms_for-as-nightingales-do-upon-glow-worms-f_443792.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“For as nightingales do upon glow-worms feed, So poets live upon the living light.” — Philip James Bailey", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Philip James Bailey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-james-bailey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "For as nightingales do upon glow-worms...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-james-bailey/for-as-nightingales-do-upon-glow-worms-feed-so-poets-live-upon-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-james-bailey/for-as-nightingales-do-upon-glow-worms-feed-so-poets-live-upon-the/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```